Rescission of the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards Under the Clean Air Act

What it does

In this action, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rescinding the Administrator's 2009 findings of contribution and endangerment and repealing all greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines to effectuate the best reading of Clean Air Act (CAA) section 202(a)(1). The EPA determines that CAA section 202(a)(1) does not authorize the Agency to prescribe emission standards in response to global climate change concerns for multiple reasons, including the best reading of the statutory terms "air pollution," "cause," "contribute," and "reasonably be anticipated to endanger." This statutory interpretation is corroborated by application of the major questions doctrine. The EPA further determines that GHG emission standards for new motor vehicles and engines do not impact in any material way the public health and welfare concerns identified in the Administrator's prior findings in 2009. On these multiple and independent bases, the EPA concludes that it lacks statutory authority to regulate GHG emissions in response to global climate change concerns under CAA section 202(a)(1), and is not finalizing the additional bases for repeal set out in the proposed rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

6 parts of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

40 CFR 85, 40 CFR 86, 40 CFR 600, 40 CFR 1036, 40 CFR 1037, 40 CFR 1039

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Environmental Protection Agency has published 248 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 263 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 2060-AW71 since Jan. 1, 2025.

• Aug. 1, 2025 Proposed rule. Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards

What happens next and when

This final action is effective on April 20, 2026. The incorporation by reference of certain material listed in the action was approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of March 27, 2023, June 17, 2024, and June 21, 2024.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194 on Regulations.gov
• Title 40 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register